


A Tale as Old as Time

by maccabird_23



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF, Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 09:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16083275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maccabird_23/pseuds/maccabird_23
Summary: At first, Timmy was wary of Armie, clinging to the lip of the sink and scratching him when he accidentally rubbed at his side. Armie took a moment to soothe him before inspecting his soft spot. He hissed when he found a gash, right below his ribcage, and so close to his belly. It was jagged but healed. Armie made an internal note not to touch it ever again. After a while Timmy started to trust Armie, always holding on to one of his hands with a tiny paw through each bath time.And that's the story of how Armie spent almost every Saturday night. Not out partying and doing blow off a stripper’s ass like his parents probably thought but washing a cute little tabby with warm water in the bathroom sink.





	A Tale as Old as Time

 

Dru Anne was drunk, had been nursing her fifth gin and tonic when she finally asked her son, “So at any point are you going to explain what happened to the very expensive jag I gave you when you moved to California?”

Dru watched her son turn away and share a look with Timothee, his fiancé. And that was its own little shocker. Not her son being gay, mothers always knew but her son settling so fast. He'd only moved to Los Angeles eight months ago.

Timmy shrugged, turning to Dru. “Mrs. Hammer, it's kind of a crazy and long story.”

Dru raised an eyebrow, lifting the glass in mock salute. “We have time.”

Armie hadn't wanted to use his parents’ money when he moved to Los Angeles. Besides the crazy expensive jag, his mom ordered and he found parked outside his apartment, the keys left with his roommate, Xavier. Armie was determined to make it as a jobbing actor without using his name or the money that came with it.

“Wait. You're not like related to the baking soda guy, are you?” Xavier asked, eyeing the car.

Armie had rolled his eyes and avoided the question by picking up Xavier’s cat, Timmy. “You need to stop letting him outside without a collar on, dude. Someone's gonna take this beautiful boy.” Armie raised the tabby until he was tucked safely under his chin. Timmy gave him a scratchy lick behind his ear and purred.

Xavier scowled, reaching out to grab Timmy. “He wanders off all the time. The little asshole always seems to find his way home sooner or later.”

Timmy growled, scratching Xavier's hand before jumping out of Armie’s hands and making his way back into the apartment. Armie already knew Timmy would be waiting for them by the apartment door looking annoyed.

Armie really didn't understand why Xavier adopted Timmy or Timothee. “That's a really pretentious fucking name. Especially for a cat.” Xavier was French Canadian but Armie still didn’t think it was a good enough excuse.

Xavier had sighed, trying unsuccessfully to give Timmy a bath. “I named him after my ex-boyfriend. After we broke up a few months ago I adopted him. It fits because they're both assholes.”

Timmy wailed, holding onto the shower curtain for dare life with his claws. Xavier grunted, letting go of Timmy and letting him hang there as he walked out. “Fine dickhead. Enjoy having matted fur and fleas.”

Armie's knees hit the tiled floor, panicking as he tried to catch Timmy before he fell into the half-full tub.

“You ok, beautiful boy? Are you hurt?’ Armie whispered, settling Timmy into the curve of his arm and kissing the tuft at the top of his little head as he shut the water off.

Timmy tucked into Armie’s chest, muzzle resting on his collarbone, wet nose sniffling quietly. “The fucker is right though. You need a bath.”

At first, Timmy was wary of Armie, clinging to the lip of the sink and scratching him when he accidentally rubbed at his side. Armie took a moment to soothe him before inspecting his soft spot. He hissed when he found a gash, right below his ribcage, and so close to his belly. It was jagged but healed. Armie made an internal note not to touch it ever again. After a while Timmy started to trust Armie, always holding on to one of his hands with a tiny paw through each bath time.

And that's the story of how Armie spent almost every Saturday night. Not out partying and doing blow off a stripper’s ass like his parents probably thought but washing a cute little tabby with warm water in the bathroom sink.

“One little pink beanie, two little pink beanies, three little” Armie stopped as he heard Xavier opening his bedroom door. The script he’d been reading had started to bore him. Another role, with one line and clear instructions for him to take his shirt off. He really needed a new agent. So he used Timmy's paw to scan through the lines. It really made the experience better.

Of course, he’d wind up getting distracted and playing the beanie game. Timmy seemed like it enough, almost concentrating too hard on each line, like he was reading the words with his tiny, brown eyes.

“Armie have you seen Timmy… Bro! I’ve been looking for him for twenty minutes. I got him some wet food.” Armie picked Timmy up, catching a foot in his hand as he swung him in the air. He put the tiny foot in his mouth as he mumbled to Xavier, “I already fed him.”

He let go of Timmy, watched as he burrowed underneath pillows and blankets before meeting Xavier’s glare with his own. “How could you feed him? There hasn’t been any cat food for two days.”

Armie folded his arms over his chest, trying to even out his temper. He wasn’t going to fight with his roommate. “I know. I also know that cats need to eat at least once a day. How would you like it if I starved you for two days.”

Xavier rolled his eyes, walking into Armie’s room and picking up the covers to try and get Timmy. “You’re being overdramatic. You act like we both don’t give him bits of food off our own plates every single day.” He finally managed to wrangle Timmy against his chest, petting his neck. Timmy sagged in his grip after a moment and Armie had to resist snatching him back. It's wasn’t his cat after all.

Armie knew Xavier was right. They had both been feeding him their own food but yesterday, after Xavier had left for work Armie had found Timmy pushing his food bowl in Armie’s direction, scooting it next to Armie’s foot with his tiny nose before looking up at him, with big, wet eyes.

And that’s the story of how Armie spent his food money for the rest of the week on Timmy’s cat food. It meant eating Ramen until Monday but it had been worth it. When he opened the first can Timmy couldn’t even wait for him to dump it into the bowl, licking between his fingers to taste the pungent gravy. Armie shrugged, thinking if worst came to worst… the chicken gravy didn’t smell that bad.

Xavier didn’t let Timmy sleep in his bed. Had said the cat hair never washed out properly and the one time he let him he found a bunch of short brown hairs in his beard. “You try explaining to a date why you have short hairs in your beard. You can’t. They’ll still think you just went down on someone.”

Armie didn’t mind, Timmy didn’t even really shed that much but Armie found himself pushing Timmy off his bed, sneezing snot onto his own lower lip and feeling like the grossest thing on Earth. He didn’t know how he came down with a whole head cold but he knew he didn’t want to get snot all over Timmy. “No boy. You can’t sleep with me right now. I’m dying.”

Timmy made a face before jumping off his bed and walking out of the room. Armie shoved his head underneath his pillow, not wanting to get up even when he heard the tiny commotion coming from outside his room. “Get off my bed, furball. Gross. You have snot all over you.” There was a loud thump, and then a growl followed by Xavier screaming. “Get in your damn box, Timmy.”

Armie opened his eyes slowly, feeling the crust on his eyelashes itch as he wiped away residue. He turned himself on his side just in time to see Timmy drag his box into Armie’s room. Armie and Timmy both hated that box. He didn’t know why Xavier wouldn’t just buy him a bed. But there was an old pillow and blanket in it so Armie didn’t feel too guilty, hoping that Timmy was comfortable enough.

“So this is your room now,” Armie asked, watching as Timmy dragged the box with his teeth next to Armie’s bed. Once he seemed satisfied, he jumped on top of it and curled up, watching Armie carefully. The next time Armie woke up it was to Timmy licking his sweaty forehead. “Oh God, I feel like death.” It was soothing but he knew it wasn’t good to let Timmy lick him. Cats could catch the human flu, it was pretty rare but he didn’t want to take the chance.  

Armie batted him away, feeling a sneeze coming. He sat up, feeling it tickle the back of his throat before he let out a snot-filled sneeze. A moment later he felt something soft being pushed in his hands, he looked to his side and found Timmy with an entire roll of toilet paper between his teeth, pushing it into Armie’s hand.

After he blew his nose, Armie used his clean hand to pet Timmy softly, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and fondness. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to take care of you.” Timmy pushed his muzzle into his hand before hopping up on his box. Armie closed his eyes, feeling minutely better.

And that’s the story of how Timmy nursed Armie back to health. Xavier avoided them both for the entire week, afraid that they would get him sick. Timmy had sneezed once but afterward seemed to be perfectly fine. Once Armie was healthy, he took Timmy in one hand, the box in the other and went down to the dumpster. He let Timmy watch as he threw the box away. “You sleep in my bed for now on.” Timmy seemed to preen at the statement.

A few days later Armie found himself reading scripts on the living room couch, Timmy perched in his lap. Xavier had invited over his friends and they asked him to smoke weed with them. They seemed curious about Xavier’s new roommate and Armie couldn’t help but feel a bit like an animal at the zoo.

“So the Hammer Museum downtown…” Marion started, passing the joint to Francois. “Have you heard about it?” She raised an elegant eyebrow, unabashedly staring.

“Nope,” Armie responded. The character his agent wanted him to audition for was the teenage heir to an oil fortune. He sighed. Armie was twenty-four years old and the last thing he told his agent specifically no heirs and no teenagers. How was it even possible that all five scripts had literally the same character? “Hammer is actually a very common name.”

Patrick, another one of Xavier’s friends reached out and started petting Timmy. At first, Armie didn’t mind but after a minute he realized that Patrick was petting his thigh more than Timmy’s fur. Before he could even reach to take his hand away, Timmy had growled, scratching at the unwanted hand. “Motherfucker…”

Patrick glared at Timmy, and Armie smiled, holding him close to his chest. Xavier sighed. “Leave Timothee alone, Patrick. You know he’s never liked you.”

Marion and François started to giggle, passing the joint to Armie. “Just like the real Timothee.” Armie coughed, laughed along with them for a beat, taking note that one day he would really like to meet the Timmy that his beautiful boy got his namesake from. He hadn’t noticed when the room became awkwardly hushed, everyone looking down at the rug with feigned interest.

After a while he gave up on reading another shitty script, throwing it on the table and grabbing the remote. He flipped the channels before settling on _Interstellar_. It was at the scene where Matthew McConaughey was saying goodbye to his son, played by Lucas Hedges, not knowing this would be the last time he saw him.

“Jesus, that is freaky. That we were talking about Timothee and then this movie comes on.” Marion whispered, looking over at Xavier. Armie followed suit, watching a mix of emotions play at on the other man’s face. After a moment he grabbed the remote from Armie’s hand and shut off the TV. Armie didn’t stop him, he looked close to tears.

Francois must have seen the look of confusion on Armie’s face. “Timothee was on a plane to go film Interstellar but the plane crashed. They never found his body.”

Armie felt Timmy tremble against his chest, guessed that a cat knows when its owner was in distressed and Xavier looked like he was a moment away from falling apart. So he let Timmy go, let him jump into Xavier’s lap and curl up.

It wasn’t until much later, after everyone had left that Armie remembered something Xavier had said earlier. “Stop me if I’m being an asshole but didn’t you say you and Timothee broke up?”

Xavier was cleaning the litter box but stopped, looking up at Armie as Timmy wandered into the bathroom. “You are an asshole and so was he.” He got up, grabbing Timmy and going back to his room. Armie debated for a moment before following. “Timothee broke up with me a few days before he left for Interstellar. I’d been writing a script for him. Thought I would surprise him but instead he surprised me.”

Armie could tell he was still crushed, even after all these months. He didn’t even think about it before sitting next to Xavier, putting his arm around him. “He does sound like an asshole.” At that Timmy meowed and wouldn’t stop until Armie petted his head. “I don’t mean you, Timmy. You’re not an asshole.”

“My last word to him was this curse. This old French curse. _You’re a monster and you will always be a monster because you don’t know how to love anyone but yourself_.” Xavier cuddled Timmy closer, the cat meowing louder like he was trying to add his own two cents to the conversation. “Then his plane crashed and I thought that somehow it was my fault because of the curse. I didn’t have the heart to tell anyone we broke up. I felt guilty.”

Armie really wasn’t sure what to do. Xavier had always been so cold and he resented how mean he was to Timmy. Armie never thought he was just trying to hide his own guilt and pain about Timmy’s namesake. “So then you adopted Timmy?”

Xavier laughed, picking up Timmy until he could meet his eyes. They stared at each other until Timmy licked his nose, and then went in to bite his lip. “Motherfucker.” He yelped, handing the cat over to Armie. “No. Adopting would mean that I actively wanted a cat at some point. I hate cats.”

Armie raised an eyebrow, playing with Timmy’s tuft. “Then how did you get him? Did he just wander into your apartment and refuse to leave.” He was about to laugh before he saw Xavier nodding. Well, that explained a lot.

“About a week after the accident I walked into my apartment and Timmy was sitting on the couch like he owned it. He must’ve got in through a window. I threw a blanket over him and dumped him in the garden. I heard him fighting with another alley cat all night. The next day I opened my front door and there he was. He looked exhausted, all scratched up with dirt in his wounds.”

Armie rolled Timmy on his back, rubbing at his soft belly, making sure he didn’t touch the healed gash at his side. “So you took pity on him. Gave him a home and named him Timmy.” The tabby purred under his hands, grabbing his wrist with a paw, almost like he was trying to pet Armie back.

“They have the same eyes… hazel.” Armie stroked his tiny nose, tilting his head down and noticing for the first time how hazel his eyes were. He stroked Xavier’s arm with his other hand, almost in thanks, for saving this beautiful boy when he didn’t have to. “Um… Armie?”

Armie turned, meeting Xavier’s eyes. “Yes,” he asked, smiling. Feeling fondness for the other man possibly for the first time.

“Are you… like trying to seduce me while I’m emotionally vulnerable because that would be creepy.” That didn’t last long. Armie rolled his eyes, smacking Xavier on the back of his head.

“No, you weirdo. I’m just trying to be a good roommate.” He got up, stretching with Timmy tucked underneath his arm. He was about to leave, cat in hand when he paused. “Do you want Timmy to sleep with you tonight?”

Timmy meowed loudly at the same time Xavier said, “No, take the furball.” Armie didn’t need to be told twice, settling Timmy by his side as he went back to reading shitty scripts until he fell asleep. Timmy was extra affectionate that night, interrupting his reading every few minutes to sit on his chest, peaking over at each page and wiggling his head like he knew how crappy the scripts were.

And that’s the story of how Armie learned that not everything was at it seemed. Xavier wasn’t the complete dickhead he made him out to be in his head. He wasn’t using Timmy as a cipher to get back at a boyfriend who broke up with him. He learned or at least felt that even Timmy wasn’t everything he appeared to be.

Somehow his namesake and the tragedy that had followed him felt imprinted on the cat. Like this Timothee’s story was part of Timmy’s. As if his sudden appearance was a way of keeping that Timothee alive. Armie held him closer that night. Not knowing this Timothee but feeling even a greater need to keep his Timmy safe.

Everything stayed homeostatic, not better or worst for another few weeks. Armie looked for work, watching the money he saved dwindle and wondering with his next acting job would come. Xavier worked on his scripts, doing small acting jobs on the side. They both took care of Timmy and in return Timmy would randomly wander off, coming back after a day.

“I told you not to worry.” Xavier would sigh, dumping food into a bowl. Armie would hug him, telling him to never do that again. Timmy would argue, meowing back before falling asleep in Armie’s bed.

“We need to get him chipped,” Armie demanded, walking into Xavier’s room after Timmy fell asleep. “We can put our money together. I can… I can ask my parents but we can’t risk him never coming back.”

After a minute Xavier looked up at him from his laptop like he finally noticed Armie had barged into his room. A beat passed. “I’m leaving. I’m moving back to Quebec. A small film company wants to sign me.”

Armie was silent for a moment, taking in the news and trying to find the right response. He liked Xavier and it was going to suck finding a new roommate but if he felt like this was his best option then Armie wasn’t going to be an asshole about it. “Well, congratulations. That sounds awesome.”

Xavier smiled at Armie’s genuine enthusiasm. “Yeah, it's pretty freaking great. They like my scripts and want to tell original queer stories. So I don’t have to worry about changing my art but…”

Xavier played with his blanket for a moment, not meeting Armie’s eyes. “But what?”

“They want me in Quebec in less than two weeks so…” Xavier shrugged.

“Fuck,” Armie whispered. “So I have less than two weeks to find another roommate to pay your side of the rent. Someone who doesn’t mind rooming with an actor and doesn’t mind cats.”

“Wait? What?” Xavier asked, closing his laptop and getting off his bed. “You don’t have to worry about finding a cat person. I’m taking Timmy with me.” Armie watched Xavier rummage through his closet, taking out his luggage, checking the wheels.

Armie let the words, their meaning filter through his brain. He remembered Timmy sleeping in his room, paws all dirty from being away for only a day. How worried he’d been and that had only been one day. “You’re not taking him with you.” It came out much more bluntly than Armie had wanted.

Xavier looked up from his luggage, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, I am. He’s my cat. I know you think I treat him like shit but you know what he means to me.” And that was the thing. Armie did know Timmy’s significance to Xavier. This invisible thread that connected Xavier’s Timothee, long dead with Timmy. How he seemed to materialize out of thin air to fill the void in Xavier's life and ease his guilt.

Armie knew all of this but there was just something inside of him, a gut feeling that told him not to let Timmy go. “How are you even going to get him to Quebec?”

Xavier sighed, leaving the room and going towards Armie’s room. “He’s going into baggage storage as all pets do.”

Armie felt his gut drop. “Like hell he is. Do you know how many pets die in storage? It's cruel. Just let him stay here and you can facetime him or something.” He really was grasping at straws once he followed Xavier back into his own room.

Xavier rolled his eyes, grabbing a sleeping Timmy off Armie’s bed. “Listen, Hammer. Nothing you say is going to change my mind. You can offer me a million dollars and the keys to your jag but the answer is still no.” They both looked down when they heard Timmy yelp, finally waking from his sleep and blinking hazel eyes from one to the other.

Timmy looked at Armie, struggling as he extended one tiny paw out towards him. At that moment Armie’s mind was made up. He pushed passed Xavier, ignoring Timme’s meows and went into his side drawer. There were the keys. “Here take them. A brand new jag. It’s yours but Timmy stays.”

Xavier eyed him critically before turning his gaze to the keys that were just pushed into his hand. “You can barely pay your side of the rent but you’re going to give me a jag for a cat?”

Armie bit his lip, knowing his parents would be pissed. They would probably refuse to send him money, thinking he was being careless. It was probably going to be shitty for a while but “Yeah, a Jaguar for a tabby. Sounds fair to me.”

Xavier looked down, the keys in one hand and Timmy in the other, almost as if he was weighing them on an invisible scale, testing which one was worth more. He sighed, pocketing the keys before scratching at the scruff of Timmy’s neck. Timmy scratched his hand in return. “Ow, you asshole.” For his part Timmy seemed mildly apologetic, licking at the bleeding wound and not even biting.

Xavier dropped Timmy to the floor, both watching as he immediately ran back into Armie’s bed. From there he stared at the two of them as they got the deal done. “So are you taking the jag or…”

Xavier shook his head. “I’m going to sell it while I’m still in California. Upgrade my tickets to first class back to Quebec… I’ll give you some money to have Timmy chipped. Would be ironic if you just traded a fifty grand jag for a cat and he got lost.”

Timmy meowed like he had something to add and Armie laughed. “Stop arguing. I was _this_ close to calling the police over a missing cat.” Armie showed him, squeezing air between his thumb and pointer finger. He turned back to Xavier, sighing a breath of relief he hadn’t known he was holding in. “You wouldn’t happen to know someone who needs a roommate and wouldn’t mind my asshole of a cat.”

That afternoon Armie searched through listings, trying to find his new roommate while also trying to write an email to his mom about why he had to give away her jag but somehow the page remained blank. Like what he did was utterly crazy and only made sense to him.

Timmy jumped on his lap at some point, his dirty, little paws leaving prints on Armie’s light blue shirt. “What do you think, Timmy? Am I crazy?” Nevermind that he was talking to a cat, that became pretty normal a few months back. Timmy wiggled his little head, flicking an ear in Armie’s direction.

He settled after a moment, purring so loudly that Armie could feel it reverberate through his chest. He licked at the two-day stubble growing on Armie’s chin before growling lightly. Timmy hated the stubble. “Better get used to it, jerk.”

Xavier came out a while later, looking awkwardly between Armie and Timmy. Almost as if he felt guilty. “I found a buyer. Easier than I thought. I’m going to meet her so… I’ll see you two later.” Xavier came closer, petting Timmy’s back and they both felt him stiffen but didn’t mention it.

Once he was gone Timmy started meowing loudly as Armie tried to hush him. After a few minutes, he titled his little head up, rubbing behind his ear and meeting his hazel eyes. “It was worth it. You were worth it.” He whispered, kissing Timmy on the top of his head. As he fell into a light sleep Armie could swear he saw Timmy nod, almost as if he understood everything.

Armie woke up a few hours later to a heavy but not altogether uncomfortable weigh on his chest. He felt Timmy purr against his neck, little breaths warm against his chin but something definitely felt… off.  “Timmy?” He blinked, eyes opening and seeing a mop of dark brown hair resting on his shoulder.

It was at the moment that Armie noticed his hands, absently stroking at a very naked back. “Hey? Hey? Get off.” He wasn’t alarmed yet, knew that Xavier had some very weird friends and this one was… pretty hot but it was still a messed up way to greet a stranger.

The boy growled as he tried to shrug him off, curling in Armie’s lap, and licking his chin before trying to lie back down. He was all long, lean pale skin, and in most situations, Armie would definitely up for this but this was starting to get strange. “Who the fuck are you?”

Armie pushed him back until he was at the other end of the couch and the boy pouted, looking confused for a moment before looking down at his own state of undress. “I’m… I’meow.” Armie raised an eyebrow as the boy took inventory of his own body. Counting out ten fingers and toes, two arms and legs, lips, nose, and eyes. Finally, Armie looked away, blushing crimson as he grabbed himself between his legs.

After a beat, Armie grabbed the blanket that he’d been laying on and handed it over to the boy, who wrapped it around himself. “Listen, I don’t know what you took but I kinda need you to cooperate right now if you want me to help you. Now, what’s your name?”

He finally looked up, meeting Armie’s eyes and something in his gut tightened when he noticed how hazel they were. _No. It couldn’t be?_ Armie shook his head wondering for a moment if he was high, too. The boy got closer, putting a hand on Armie’s shoulder and looking at him imploringly like he was begging him to understand. “I’m Timmy.”

Armie took a moment to panic internally, wondering if he was actually falling for this? Maybe Xavier was playing a really cruel prank on him or maybe he was actually crazy. Then he decided to say _fuck it_ and started panicking externally. He got up, not caring if the very naked hot boy followed him.

If this was his Timmy, the cute little tabby that he’d been cuddling, feeding, grooming and cleaning his litter box somehow turned human then that meant there shouldn’t be a cat wandering around the apartment. He decided to test that. He ran into the kitchen, bathroom, Xavier’s room and finally his room, screaming “Timmy? Timmy? Where are you boy? You little jerk. Where are you?”

As he expected the other Timmy, wrapped in nothing but a blanket was still following him around, a concerned look on his quite beautiful face. He threw open his closet but he wasn’t there, he wasn’t anywhere. He turned to glare at the boy. “Where is my cat?”

The boy rolled his eyes, slowly coming closer to Armie until they were a hair’s breath away from one another. “I’m Timmy. You dumbass.” Armie furrowed his eyebrows as he got closer. Timmy couldn’t talk but he’d definitely had given Armie looks that read as _you dumbass_.

He shook his head, still not wanting to believe. Then Timmy gently grabbed his hand, flattening his palm and pressing it against his side. Armie sucked in a breath, right below his ribcage, so close to his belly there was a jagged but healed gash. The same one Timmy had.

Armie could feel Timmy shaking underneath his palm, took the moment to wrap the blanket tighter around his body, not sure if he was shaking from the cold or shock. Armie knew he was shocked, God knows what the boy… Timmy must feel. “How?” It was really the only thing he could get out. Everything was still so confusing.

Timmy took a breath, moving away to sit on the bed, sighing before meeting Armie’s eyes. “It's a long story.”

Armie sat next to him, missing his warmth that he’d grown so used to, as a cat and now a human. “I got time.”

Timmy smiled, curling around Armie like nothing had changed, even though everything had. Would it be weird to get him chipped now, Armie thought before shaking his head. “I remember being at the airport, waiting for my flight and then nothing. The next thing I know I’m cold, outside on the pavement and everyone was so much taller than me.”

Timmy explained as best as he could what it felt like to realize he was a cat. How he didn’t want to believe it until he saw his own reflection at a storefront. How he wanted to call his parents or sister or anyone but couldn’t. How it took him a week to find his way back to his apartment. How he climbed up the railing to his third-floor apartment as he’d done as a human.

“I thought for sure, somehow Xavier would know it was me but he didn’t and I was so pissed. I thought he was my last chance at becoming human again.” Timmy was now lying on his chest again, playing with the buttons of his shirt like he’d done when he was a cat.

“Why did you think Xavier would know how to turn you back,” Armie asked, nuzzling into his brown curls, wondering if this was strange. Mere hours ago Timmy was a cat, now they were cuddling like they were lovers. And that was a whole other thing Armie didn’t want to think about.

“He cursed me before I left. _You’re a monster and you will always be a monster because you don’t know how to love anyone but yourself_. I thought he’d realize that his curse worked and somehow be able to change me back but the asshole didn’t even realize it was me.”

Timmy sighed sitting up in the bed, face scrunching as if he just remembered something. “But then I thought that maybe I needed to play the curse out. That if he learned to love me again then the curse would be broken. Then you came and… everything just changed.”

Armie sat up with him, back pressed flat against the headboard. “What changed?” He asked but deep down he felt he already knew. All those moments flashing back to him. Timmy slowly growing to trust him and Armie needing to take care of him. That gut feeling he had when he knew he couldn’t let Xavier take him away.

“The Curse. The curse changed. You sacrificed something great for me and loved me unconditionally. You broke the curse.” Timmy turned in the bed, one hand pressed to Armie’s chest as he leaned closer, lips hovering just on top of Armie’s. “You said I was worth it.” Then he closed the distance, mouth coaxing Armie’s lips open, licking inside, biting gently.

“What the fuck? How? Timmy?” Armie and Timmy both turned in time to see Xavier, just outside of Armie’s room. All the blood had drained from his face. Timmy had wiggled from Armie’s grip, standing up as naked as he’d been a few hours ago. “You fucking asshole,” was the last thing Xavier said before he passed out, body dropping to the ground.

Xavier woke up a few minutes later, Armie pushing him down on a chair in the kitchen, blanket wrapped around his shoulder. “It’s for shock and this is for the nerves.” He pushed a hot cup into Xavier’s hands. “Irish tea.”

Armie looked back and forth, from Xavier in one chair to Timmy in the other. This was going to be awkward. “You prick. You cursed me.”

“You broke up with me after I wrote a script for you, asshole.”

“I was a cat… for months. I ate a rat, Xavier. I fucking rat or I would have starved.”

Xavier rolled his eyes. “Mammals could survive weeks without food. Stop being dramatic.”

This was definitely not going the way Armie has expected. He thought there would at least be a few minutes where they had to talk Xavier into believing Timmy had been a cat for months. Unless… “Wait. Did you know that Timmy the cat was your Timothee? All along?”

Timmy bristled; about to say something else before he stopped, staring slack-jawed at Xavier. “You asshole, you knew. You could have reversed the curse and you let me stay a cat.”

Xavier stuttered, pausing to take another sip of the spiked tea. “Let’s just say, I didn’t not know. I suspected but do you know how crazy I would sound if I told people I thought I turned my ex-boyfriend into a cat. Anyway, I couldn’t have reversed the curse even if I wanted to.”

Timmy rolled his eyes, and Armie was starting to understand why their relationship probably ended, to begin with. They certainly weren’t the warmest pair when around another.

“Bullshit. Your curse specified that someone had to love me unconditionally for me to turn back. All you had to do was open that cold heart of yours and love cat me and then…”

“Dammit, Timmy. You never listen. I swear to God. This was always your problem. The curse wasn’t that someone had to love you unconditionally. It was that _you_ had to love someone unconditionally for the curse to be broken.”

There was a beat of silence as they all considered what that meant. Armie let the meaning wash over him before he met Timmy’s eyes. “Oh.” He smiled. “You love me.”

Timmy smiled back. “Well, duh.”

Xavier sighed, “Oh, God. Of course, you fall in love with my big, dumb stupidly handsome roommate.”

Timmy turned his smile into a glare when he looked at Xavier. “Shut up, you dick. You sold me for a jag.”

Xavier smiled almost benignly “And I was feeling guilty about it when I thought you were a cat. But now that you’re back to being the skank you were before…” A low growl from Timmy was all the warning they got before he hurled himself across the table and at Xavier.

Armie sighed, really wondering if he had to break it off but finally decided to pick Timmy up and off Xavier before the noise caused someone to call the police. Timmy curled around him, legs wrapping around his waist, arms crossing behind his neck and face nuzzling into his chest.

Xavier stood up a moment later, dusting himself off as he eyed the spectacle warily before he went to get himself another drink. “Christ, you two assholes deserve each other.”

And that’s the story about how Armie and human Timothee fell in love. It wasn’t perfect by any means. After the first few days of honeymoon bliss where they fucked on every surface much to Xavier’s dismay, they had to figure out what to do with the whole _Timmy being dead and alive again._

It didn’t go as well as planned, Timmy calling his parents and sister and crying out the whole truth on the phone. They took the first plane ride over, convinced they had to save Timmy from Xavier.

Then after Armie and Timmy were able to convince them that, yes their son/brother had been living the past few months as a cat they had to hatch a plan on what they would tell people.

And that’s how the story hit a few tabloids and conspiracy theory sites about a teenage actor who had an emotional break down when the flight he was supposed to be on crashed, then he went off the grid for a few months, the weight of his blossoming career and the terrible accident being too much for him.

It was in and out of the papers in a week, a fresh news cycle replacing it. However, the photos of Timmy, next to his Prince Charming like boyfriend, Armie had caught the attention of Luca Guadagnino, who sent both men the script of a new movie he was directing _Call Me By Your Name_. “You two are Elio and Oliver. I know it.”

Shooting would be starting soon but before they could fly out to Crema there was one last thing they had to deal with.

“And that’s why I had to sell you fifty-thousand dollar Jaguar for a cat. And how that cat turned into your son-in-law.” Armie finished. Timmy was already asleep at his side, dozing off somewhere after Armie considered eating dog food but before Timmy waking up naked on top of him. His mother was already on her eighth drink.

After finishing her glass Dru Anne’s glazed-over expression cleared, meeting her son’s eyes. She looked between him and his lovely fiancé. “Well, honey. I never heard a bigger load of crap until this moment…”

“Mom,” Armie sighed, knowing his mom would be a tough nut to crack.

“Let me finish, darling.” She continued. “But digging through that load of horse crap I did gather a pearl of truth. Somewhere along the way you met and fell in love with Timothee but there was a chance you could lose him to his ex unless you gave him my fifty-thousand dollar jag. You did it for love and I think that’s beautiful.”

Dru Anne stumbled to her feet with the help of her son, petting Timothee as she went. Armie held her steady as she walked to her room. “It really was quite an adorable yet sordid and a bit unethical story you conjured up but aren’t all great fairy-tales in the end?”

Armie rolled his eyes, looking back at his sleeping fiance one more time. “Yep and this one really was worth it.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
